


could we finally be

by omoiyaris



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, High School, Implied Daichi/Suga, M/M, for like 0.5 seconds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:55:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25983208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/omoiyaris/pseuds/omoiyaris
Summary: “Asahi-san, please date me.”He won’t lie and say he’s never daydreamed about this—and bythis, he means Nishinoya wanting to be more than friends. He just didn’t picture it happening during lunch at his desk, with an empty curry bun wrapper trapped in Asahi’s fist and the curious eyes of his classmates burning into them.Nishinoya is passionate about discounts. Asahi gets the wrong idea.
Relationships: Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu
Comments: 10
Kudos: 119
Collections: Asanoya Week 2020





	could we finally be

**Author's Note:**

> this is technically supposed to be for one of asanoya week's day 2 prompts but i am late and shy and also the fake/pretend relationship lasts for like five seconds, in all honesty.

“Asahi-san, please date me.” 

Asahi falls out of his chair. Sprawled on the floor in shock, he stares up at Nishinoya, searching for hints in his expression, cues on how Asahi is supposed to respond. The only thing that jumps out at him is Nishinoya’s sincerity. Hope lurks behind his warm eyes as he silently begs Asahi to say _yes_. 

Blinking, Asahi picks himself up off the floor. “Um,” he begins. He won’t lie and say he’s never daydreamed about this—and by _this_ , he means Nishinoya wanting to be more than friends. He just didn’t picture it happening during lunch at his desk, with an empty curry bun wrapper trapped in Asahi’s fist and the curious eyes of his classmates burning into them. “Um,” he says again. “I’m flattered, Noya, but I—“ 

“I won’t take no for an answer!” He’s only seen Nishinoya this focused, this _serious_ on the court, awaiting an opponent’s serve. To have the full force of that killer intent directed at him is unnerving, to say the least. 

“Noya, I—“ He pauses and swallows. “Okay?” 

Nishinoya beams. “Awesome!” He claps his hands together and bounces on the balls of his feet, his earlier seriousness replaced with giddy satisfaction. “There’s somewhere I want to go after school with you. I’ll wait by the gates, okay?” 

Asahi’s brain is still stuck somewhere between ‘Asahi-san’ and ‘date me’ and ‘does my stomach hurt because that curry bun was expired?’. “Sure?”

“Don’t forget, Asahi-san!” With a cheery wave, Nishinoya sweeps out of the classroom as quickly as he’d arrived, leaving Asahi standing there, dumbstruck. 

* * *

“I’m happy for you!” Suga says, in a way that makes him sound anything _but_ happy. His smile is pinched, expression verging on manic as he aims a punch at Asahi’s side. “You got yourself a boyfriend, huh? That’s great, Asahi!”

When he sought Suga out during break asking for advice, this is not what Asahi had in mind. Everything with Nishinoya happened so quickly; he needs a moment to calm down and think about all this rationally. He figured Suga would be the perfect person to help him with that, but Suga looks like he’d rather 1v1 Asahi in the hallway instead. Still, he pushes on. “The thing is, I think he wants to take me out on a date after school and I—“ 

“Rubbing in your good fortune, huh?” Suga’s smile turns painful. “I hope you have a nice date. And that you burn your tongue on some coffee.” 

Clearly, Suga is going to be no help. “You could just ask Daichi out instead of being jealous,” Asahi ventures carefully, and Suga stares at him for a full minute in complete silence before walking away. 

Asahi sighs.

* * *

Nishinoya takes him to a trendy little cafe after school. Asahi overheard some of his classmates talking earlier about how delicious the cakes there are and wanted to visit, but based on appearances alone, he certainly doesn’t look like the kind of person who can visit cafes on his own. He’d probably terrify the patrons.

It’s a nice date spot. In fact, there seem to be a bunch of couples milling around the entrance when they arrive. Asahi balks at the sight, but Nishinoya squeezes past them with no reservations. Before they step inside, he nonchalantly grabs Asahi’s hand and laces their fingers together. When Asahi stiffens, Nishinoya shoots him a bright grin that does absolutely nothing to soothe his nerves. 

He’s always liked this part of Nishinoya—the part that doesn’t seem to be held back by anything as silly as self-doubt or fear. The part that charges ahead in confidence when it comes to every part of his life, whether founded or unfounded. The part that can hold Asahi’s hand for no other reason except that he _wants_ to. 

Asahi wants to as well, but he’s never been brave enough. Nishinoya might be brave enough for the both of them, but Asahi doesn’t want to rely on him to push things forward all the time either. So, in spite of his clammy palms and racing heart, in spite of the fact that his instincts yell at him to let go of Nishinoya’s hand and put some distance between them, he gives Nishinoya’s hand a light squeeze.

“Hey, Noya,” he says. “After this, we s—“

“Asahi-san!” Nishinoya’s exclamation cuts through Asahi’s tentative suggestion. His eyes are trained on the display case of various sweets. “We should strategize before we order and come up with a battle plan.” 

“Sorry, what?”

“For the _cakes_ ,” Nishinoya says, with exaggerated patience. He points to a rolled cake with fresh cream and strawberries on top. “The limited edition ones sell fast. We need to be smart and decisive!” 

“Oh.” He’s still not following. But when they reach the front of the line, Asahi’s eyes fall on the _COUPLES DISCOUNT - 45% OFF ON ALL BAKED GOODS_ sign propped up by the cash register. Everything falls into place in an instant, and Nishinoya’s hand intertwined with his suddenly feels like a trap. “Oh,” Asahi says again. 

This makes more sense than— _well_. This makes sense. 

* * *

Half an hour later, their arms laden with boxes of cakes and other baked goods from the cafe, Nishinoya humming happily under his breath, Asahi reflects that the misunderstanding is not solely his fault. 

Maybe he should’ve known better than to think Nishinoya would _actually_ want to date him, but Nishinoya could’ve also said something like, _please date me because cake_ and Asahi would’ve puzzled it out. Probably. But even though he knows it takes two, he can’t help but blame himself for stupidly getting his hopes up only to have them dashed against the rocks. 

It’s fine. Asahi is happy being just friends, and the evening wasn’t a waste—Nishinoya is thrilled with his ability to play the system and his spoils of war. Listening to him chatter on brings a smile to Asahi’s face, even as the dull ache of disappointment spreads through his chest. 

“Thanks for coming with me, Asahi-san,” Nishinoya says, following a long-winded explanation about how he’s planning to space out eating his purchases. “I asked Ryuu first, but he said he came here with Chikara yesterday. So much for best friends.” 

Asahi is fairly sure Tanaka and Ennoshita came here for different reasons than their own. He refrains from pointing it out. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“I thought they’d ask us to like, _prove_ we were dating somehow,” Nishinoya continues, staring ahead thoughtfully. “But they really didn’t care, did they?” 

“Y—yeah.”

“ _Ooooor_ , maybe we just looked like we were in love.” Asahi trips over a rock, but before he can respond to Nishinoya’s teasing statement, he adds, “It doesn’t matter; we got the couples’ discount anyway!”

“Mhm.” The small noise of acknowledgement is all Asahi can manage without choking. 

“A whole 45% off!”

“ _Wow_.”

Nishinoya stops in his tracks. “Asahi-san, is everything okay?” he asks, his eyebrows knitting together. He’s weighed down by his purchases, but manages to look stern and imposing anyway. “Do you not like strawberries?” He nods at the cake in Asahi’s hands. “We can trade.”

“No, I like them.” How to explain that his current state of misery has nothing to do with the cake and everything to do with the silly expectations he’d built up in his head? It would be easier if Nishinoya were the type to let things go, but he’s not. Feet planted apart and eyes narrowed, it’s clear he won’t move until Asahi tells him what’s wrong. 

What’s wrong is that he has feelings and misses the feel of Nishinoya’s hand in his. _What’s wrong is that I like you_ , he thinks miserably. 

Asahi wishes he could borrow Nishinoya’s courage. He decides he can for a moment—just take a breath and pretend he’s as wild and free as Nishinoya is. It’s better than running away. “When you asked me to date you, I thought you meant it seriously and not just for the discount,” he says. Asahi can hear the furious pounding of his heartbeat in his ears. His mouth is dry, and he licks his lips before continuing, “And, uh, when I said yes, I meant it… seriously too.” 

Nishinoya blinks. Asahi waits for some kind of a reaction— _any_ reaction. The silence stretches between them, the setting sun bathing Nishinoya in an amber glow. Then, abruptly, he bursts into laughter. His shoulders shake as he hunches forward in mirth. 

Wilting, Asahi decides to drop out of the volleyball club, transfer schools, and never speak to Nishinoya again. 

It takes a while for Nishinoya’s laughter to fade. Wiping the corners of his eyes, he straightens up, the smile still lingering on his lips. “That’s all?” he asks. 

“Eh?”

“You want to date for real, Asahi-san?” 

“Er, well.” He's not sure how to respond. 

“We can,” Nishinoya says in the same even, slightly amused tone. The smile never leaves his face. “If that’s what you want. I guess it is, since you already said yes.”

“What?” Asahi asks weakly. Of all the responses he expected to get, this somehow wasn’t one of them. He waits for the punchline of this joke, but Nishinoya’s gaze sharpens to a point, serious and heavy. 

“I like you, Asahi-san. I thought you knew.”

Asahi’s brain is broken. “No?” 

Nishinoya raises an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure I literally said ‘Asahi-san, I really like you’ after practice last week, and you said ‘Ahaha, Noya, please’, which Chikara said was probably your way of rejecting me gently.” 

“I thought you meant as a player! And a teammate. And a friend.”

“All that, yeah, but I like you in other ways too, y’know?” Nishinoya looks up at him expectantly, like it should be obvious. Maybe it is. Nishinoya is not the kind of person who beats around the bush. He’s refreshingly honest about what he wants, what he’s feeling. It’s _Asahi_ who is reluctant to read too much into Nishinoya’s words and actions, afraid of feeling let down when he searches for something that doesn’t exist. 

Except that it does, and maybe has for a while. He swallows and looks down at his feet, scuffing his toes in the dirt. “I think you might have to, uh, spell these things out for me.” 

Huffing, Nishinoya sets his packages down carefully on a nearby bench and slides up to Asahi. “Asahi-san,” he says, clasping Asahi’s large, sweaty hand between both of his own. His eyes twinkle with suppressed mirth, but behind that lurks something warm and almost gentle. “Please date me. For real, this time.”

“Uh,” Asahi says intelligently.

“ _Seriously_?”

“Sorry! Yes! I want to.” His lips stretch into a grin so wide it hurts, but Asahi can’t control it, nor the giddy sensation that spreads through his body, making feel, in that moment, like he can _fly_. 

Nishinoya makes no move to drop his hands. Instead, he pulls Asahi closer, laughing at the way heat rushes to his face at their proximity. “Man, Asahi-san! If I’d known you were so clueless, I would’ve said something sooner.” 

“I have _a_ clue,” Asahi protests. “Sometimes.”

“How about hints? Can you take them?”

“That…” As much as Asahi wants to say yes, he’s aware of his limits. “Maybe not.”

“S’okay.” Grinning, Nishinoya grabs Asahi by the collar and yanks him down, his breath warm and _tingly_ against Asahi's lips. "I'll say it all loud and clear from now on." 

* * *

* * *

* * *

("You should visit the cafe Noya took me to yesterday," Asahi tells Suga later. "They have a discount for couples!" He strongly feels like the discount qualifies as a good luck charm, and if anyone needs one, it's Suga. "You could take Daichi with you."

Evidently not. Suga's eye twitches. "Daichi and I aren't dating," he says tersely. 

"We're not?" Daichi's wounded voice floats over from the hallway, his expression falling as he turns away with his lunchbox in hand.

Suga pales. "Wait, Daichi, that's not what I—"

Stifling his laughter, Asahi pats him on the back. "Good luck," he says, and Suga groans.)

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first time writing something for haikyuu, which is frankly _scary_ because this series is really dear to my heart and i never feel like i can do it justice. anyway! this is based loosely off point #3 from [this](https://shittyaus.tumblr.com/post/134466397155/can-i-get-some-fake-dating-aus-please-theyre-my) tumblr post! 
> 
> thank you for reading ♡
> 
> ps. i have a shiny (??) new (???) [twitter](https://twitter.com/bokuto_mp4)! pls say hi 🥺


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